The Unborn
by emeralddusk
Summary: Sam's other sister died before birth, and she wants to be let into the world.
1. Chapter 1

The Unborn

The sonogram was given to a young, blond woman. She looked at her husband, who smiled back at her.

"Congratulations," said a female nurse with shining red hair. "You're having triplets. They're all girls. Do you have their names picked out?"

"Yes," answered the pregnant woman. "Melanie, Valerie, and Samantha."

"Three wonderful additions to the Puckett family," exclaimed the father, warmly.

Three months later, the woman felt something wrong inside herself: not something physical, but a deeper feeling of emptiness in her womb. The woman returned to the hospital with her husband, and had some tests run: nothing was found wrong, but another sonogram was done.

"I'm sorry," said a balding, gray-haired man holding a clipboard. "You lost one of the babies."

The woman looked up at her husband, then began crying, pressing her face into his chest. Unfortunately, her husband was in too much pain be her rock, or his own.

The tears fell all night, but were drowned out by the rain of that night. While the couple looked out their apartment window, they felt a grave fear.

"What if we lose the others?" asked the woman.

"We won't," replied the man. "It'll be okay...We still have Melanie and Samantha...We're still a family."

Lightning struck in the sky above.

Years passed, bringing with them hardships: Melanie and Samantha's father passed away from pneumonia when his daughters turned 5, their mother slowly lost her sanity due to her painful losses, Samantha's disposition grew nasty (preferring to be called Sam), which caused her and Melanie to grow apart, despite Melanie's efforts, and finally, Melanie's going away to a private school.

Sam remained in Seattle, attended public school, made friends with a girl her age, named Carly Shay, and Carly's friend (who has a helpless crush on her), Freddie Benson, who Sam grew close to due to her growing closer to Carly. The three began producing their own web show, iCarly in seventh grade.

Now high school sophomores, the three remain close friends, though iCarly dwindled into a once-in-a-while thing for the teens' amusement. One day, however, things began to change: Sam walked into school one day, her eyes baggy and bloodshot, and her hair uncombed.

"Sam," Carly greeted her friend, somewhat startled. "What happened to you?"

"Couldn't sleep last night," answered Sam, her voice hoarse and a little angry. "Kept having nightmares."

"About what?" asked Carly, trying to grasp the situation.

"I can't remember," replied Sam, twisting in the combination on her locker. "It was pretty nasty, though."

"Sorry, Sam," said Carly. "Hope tonight's better."

"Me too," replied Sam, carrying her books to class, her body dragging. The two girls then entered their first hour math class.

While Mrs. Summers lectured the class on mathematical proofs, Sam dozed off, not being able to catch herself until she had entered a dream: In a black null, in which everything was hued gray, Sam's mother sat on a doctor's table, her stomach large from pregnancy. "They're triplets," an unseen female nurse with a sickly sweet voice informed Sam's mother. "Do you have their names?"

"Melanie, Samantha,..." answered Pam.

"And Valerie," completed a deep, almost demonic voice.

Lightning struck. Sam's mother screamed as she delivered two infant daughters.

"I'm sorry," said a doctor. "You lost one of the babies."

Lightning struck again, and three fetuses floated in the air. One was absorbed into the one next to it: Valerie had disappeared, and Sam had been the one who "took her". The two surviving infants screamed and cried.

"Let me out!" screamed a girl, whose face was almost completely shrouded in shadows, and bore a resemblance to Sam and Melody.

Sam sprang back to consciousness, her breath heavy, and her body clammy. A look of fear, for the first time in so long, was worn on the girl's face.

Carly stared at Sam, shocked and unable to fathom what was happening to her friend. The rest of the class, including Mrs. Summers, looked at the girl, jaws dropped.

Sam covered her eyes with her right hand, and continued trying to catch her breath.

After class dismissed, and Sam explained herself to her worried teacher, the blond met up with Carly in the hallway.

"There's something wrong," said the brunette.

"I know," replied Sam, still uneasy. "In that dream, I saw...I don't know. It was my mom...giving birth to Melanie and I, but...I saw someone else. I don't know who, but she said 'let me out'. And..."

"What?" asked Carly, her scared curiosity gnawing at her.

"...I saw fetuses," Sam answered. "One of them...like, sucked in the other. And... I remember my mom saying her...triplets names were Melanie, Sam, and...Valerie."

"Triplets?" asked Carly.

"I don't know," replied Sam. "...I really wanna go home."

"I'll walk you to the nurse," Carly offered, taking her friend's hand. The two walked down to the nurse's office.

That night, Sam lay in her bed, too tired to think straight, too exhausted to fear the nightmares she knew were coming. Lightning illuminated the sky outside, thunder crackled, and rain hit and slid down the window near Sam's bed.

Sam found herself walking in her school's hallway, not knowing where she was going, or why she was doing what she was doing. The lockers, walls, doors, and the rooms they lead to were either blurred or contorted and hued an ominous shade of blue. Sam felt a chill on her bones, but her body didn't shake. "Hello?" she called. No one answered.

Unlike in her past life, Sam felt scared and along, like a little girl lost in a park, searching for Mommy or Daddy. _I don't want to be here, _the teen thought to herself.

As she passed a door to an unfamiliar room, the reflection in its window stared at her. Catching this out of the corner of her eye, Sam turned sideways, and saw another girl, who strongly resembled her. The girl's face was more mature, her hair was longer and darker, and her facial features had an evil glow to them.

Sam felt afraid.

"You shouldn't be here," said the girl, her voice laced with anger. "You stole my life. And I want it back."

Sam ran away, still staring at the girl. No matter how hard she tried, her legs wouldn't move any faster, and they were so weak and tired, even standing up became a struggle. Finally, Sam collapsed on the cold, dirty floor.

Feeling a cold hand grab the back of her shirt, Sam's fear grew.

"Let me into the world," ordered the girl.

"No!" Sam screamed. Her voice echoed throughout the ghostly school.

Sam shot up in her bed, finding herself screaming in terror. Her breath heavy, and a cold sweat was seeping down her face. Once her breathing was under control, Sam began to feel sick to her stomach. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before: it was how her mother had described morning sickness.


	2. Chapter 2

The Unborn

Chapter 2

The morning was cool and gray under the clouds, and a light rain was falling to the ground. Carly awaited Sam by their lockers, still worried about her nightmares the day before.

"Hey, Carls," Freddie greeted.

"Oh, hey, Freddie," replied Carly. "What's up?"

"Where's Sam?" Freddie replied. "I thought she stopped coming late when her mom threatened to start drive her to school."

"I don't know," answered Carly. "I think there's something going on with her."

Just then, one of the doors leading into the main hallway opened, and Sam walked in, looking miserable.

"Sam, are you alright?" asked Carly, her concern spiking.

"No," Sam answered. "I feel like I got hit by a bus."

"You look like it," Freddie joked, trying to maintain his usual relationship with Sam.

"Shut up, Freddie," replied Sam, clearly not herself. "Carly, I need to talk to you."

"Sure, Sam," said Carly. "See yuh later, Freddie.

Freddie nodded agreeingly, and walked over to his locker.

"What's up, Sam?" Carly asked.

"...I had another nightmare last night," answered Sam. "And when I woke up,... I felt sick. Not like the flu, but...morning sickness."

"You're pregnant?" Carly replied, shocked.

"No," Sam shot back, almost seeming angry. "I never had sex with anyone. I'm not stupid...I don't know what it is."

"Maybe it's food poisoning," Carly tried to reason. "Did you eat anything weird?"

"No," answered Sam. "All I ate yesterday was some leftover chicken and some water."

"I think you need to see a doctor," declared Carly. "This sounds serious."

"No," Sam argued.

"Do you want to find out what's wrong with you?" Carly replied, growing angry.

"...Alright," said Sam. "Can we go after school today?"

"Sure, Sam," Carly answered. "I'll get Spencer to drive us."

"Thanks," replied Sam, giving Carly a hug, mostly for her own comfort.

Come 4 o'clock, Sam and Carly were in Spencer's car, on their way to a local hospital.

"Don't worry, Sam," Spencer comforted the girl. "These guys are the best in the business."

"Thanks, Spencer," replied Sam, growing tired.

"Try to stay awake, Sam," said Carly.

"Okay," Sam replied, her voice hoarse.

After about ten minutes in a pale waiting room, the three were brought into a light blue doctor's office. The room was occupied by a white doctor's scale, which was gathering rust, a gray desk covered with papers, and a green examining table with the usual strand of clear paper running down its center.

"Doctor Brock will be with you in a few minutes, Ms. Puckett," said a male nurse, his voice sweet.

"Thank you," Carly replied for Sam, who was pulling her tired and aching body onto the table.

The three sat around for a few minutes, trying to start conversations that not even they wanted to have. Finally, a young man with brown hair walked in, wearing tan pants, a white shirt, and a white doctor's vest.

"Sam," the doctor greeted.

Sam moaned and lifted up her hand, her pointer finger out.

"She's really exhausted," Carly explained her friend. "She's been having nightmares a lot lately."

"Sam, can you sit up?" asked Brock.

The blond managed to lift her body up. The doctor checked her heart beat, her pulse, and other standard procedures.

"She also mentioned morning sickness," Spencer added.

"But she said she's never slept with anyone," Carly added.

"Then it can't be pregnancy," summarized the doctor. "Any history of Hypothyroidism?"

"No, I don't think you," answered Sam.

In the end, Brock prescribed some pills for bowel discomfort, and suggested sleep studies should the nightmares continue.

Sam was convinced nothing was going to improve, but Carly still had her hopes up.

"Uh, before you go, doctor," said Sam. "...What can you tell me about fetuses being absorbed in the womb?"

"Well, that is usually an accidental occurrence," began doctor Brock. "There's really nothing you can do about it, but it is a very troublesome topic for many."

"But what causes it?" asked Sam, growing impatient.

"Some defect of one of the babies, which results in it being absorbed by the healthier fetus," explained the doctor. "Other times, it can be a miscarriage. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, something in health class," Sam lied, remembering her horrific dreams.

The car ride home was quiet and tense. Sam stared out the window, her nightmares haunting her.

"I'm glad you're alright, Sam," said Carly, desperately trying to think of something to occupy the hollow air.

"Yeah," Sam moaned. "Thanks, guys."

"Any time, kiddo," Spencer replied.

That night, Sam decided to sleep over in Carly's apartment. For some reason, she felt more comfortable there.

"I hope you feel better in the morning, Sam," Carly said as she turned out the light.

Sam rolled onto her side, and closed her eyes, fearing what dreams would come. However, she couldn't keep her eyes open, and was asleep in what seemed liked a few minutes.

The next morning, Sam woke up at about seven o'clock. The sun was out, and the sky was an inspiring shade of blue. Carly was sitting on her bed, drying her hair with a pink towel.

Noticing Sam was awake, Carly perkily said, "Morning, sleepy bones."

"Hey, Carls," replied Sam. "I feel better."

"No nightmares?" asked Carly, feeling better.

"Not a one," answered Sam, her plucky attitude returning. "What's for breakfast?"

Carly smiled, and jumped onto the floor. "Come on, I'll make you some pancakes," Carly offered.

"Thanks," replied Sam, who got up to feel a weight on her body. The blond looked down to find her stomach swollen.

The teens stared in shock at the sight.

"Something's really wrong," Carly declared, accepting it for the first time.


	3. Chapter 3

The Unborn

Chapter 3

Sam stood in front of the mirror with her shirt pulled above her stomach, which was now stretched outward a few inches. Sam stared at her bulging abdomen, and continued to grow more concerned. What was happening to her? Why was it happening?

"What's going on?" Sam whispered. The anxiety festered in Sam's body, and she felt herself growing dizzy and upset.

The blond pulled out her cell phone, dialed a number she hadn't dialed for years, and listened to the rings.

"Hello," answered a girl on the other end of the line, whose voice was identical to Sam's, but sweeter and a little higher pitched.

"Melanie, it's Sam," Sam replied, too troubled to be polite. "Listen, I know this is random, but I have to talk to you about something."

"Wow, Sam," Melanie replied. "That's the only reason you called me after all these years?"

"Melanie, I'm sorry," replied Sam. "I know I've been a jerk, but I really need you now."

"Sure thing," replied Melanie, her kind, loving nature overpowering her negative emotions. "What is it?"

"Did Mom ever mention anything about a sister of ours?" Sam asked.

"What?" Melanie responded, growing confused.

"I keep having these dreams..." Sam began to answer. "And there's this girl who looks just like us...I remember the name Valerie.

'I haven't been sleeping right for about three days. And now it...It seems like I'm pregnant, but I've never had sex. I don't know what it is, but I'm really falling apart. Please...help me." Tears began to form in Sam's eyes, and her voice began to shake.

"Sam,..." Melanie replied. "...You've never been this scared of anything before...Look, Mom told me something one night, and she made me swear never to tell you,...We did have another sister. She died before she was born, and Mom did say her name was going to be Valerie.

'I never told you because it was really upsetting for me, and I didn't think you'd believe it."

"...Thanks, Melanie. Love you," Sam ended the conversation. The blond hung up the phone, dropped it on the floor, and broke down crying, trying to keep her terrified wails silent.

That night, another storm began: the skies were pitch black, rain came down like it was being sprayed from a fire hose, thunder violently roared, and lightning streaked across the entire sky. Again choosing to sleep over at Carly's, rather than facing her mother, who surely wouldn't be able to understand what was happening, Sam tossed and turned in the bed she made for herself on the floor of Carly's room. Sweat was trickling down her face, and her heart was pounding.

Finally, the girl woke up, disoriented and clammy, and stumbled into the bathroom. The girl looked into the mirror: her stomach was now stretched over the waste band of her pants, and her eyes were surrounded with dark circles. Melanie's words echoed in Sam's head: "She died before she was born...She made me swear never to tell you." The girl splashed cool water in her face a few times, then grabbed the edges of the sink, putting all of her increased weight on it, and stared into the mirror, her breath heavy.

Staring back at her was the horrifying girl from Sam's dreams, baring a vicious scowl on her. "You can't fight me," she snarled. "I'm coming into the world...even if I have to kill you to do it."

Sam screamed, lightning struck, and the teen woke up on the floor, not making a sound. The digital clock read 1:24 a.m.

"Carly," Sam whispered, trying so desperately to wake her friend. "Carly."

"What?" Carly gently moaned, her eyes remaining closed.

"I need a doctor, now," Sam answered.

"...Alright," Carly replied, lifting herself out from under her sheets. "I'll go wake up Spencer."

"Thank you," Sam said, her deep appreciation showing through her voice.

Come two o' clock, the three were in a hauntingly quiet doctor's office, whose walls were an eerie, almost glowing green color. Sam, whose stomach was the same size as in her dream, sat on the examination table. Her vomiting had started at about 1:30, but now that her stomach was empty, Sam's bowels were growing calm once again.

The doctor entered after a few minutes, did some tests, including a personal pregnancy test, then left to get the results. Once he returned, her gave Sam the news: "You show all the signs of pregnancy. Would you like to have a sonogram done?"

"Okay," replied Sam, desperate for something to prove her suspicions wrong.

After the test was completed, the doctor returned to Sam with the results. "I don't understand," he said, his voice shaken with the shocking news. "There's nothing."

"What?" Carly and Sam exclaimed.

"Nothing appeared on the ultrasound," explained the doctor.

"This doesn't make any sense," said Sam, grabbing her head, which felt like it was in the center of a tornado. "I can't be pregnant...I know what's happening...I know what she's doing."

When the three returned to the apartment, they were all exhausted and dragging. Carly and Sam went into Carly's room, and started talking.

"What's going on?" Carly asked.

"Melanie and I have a sister," Sam answered, her voice grave. "She died before birth...my fetus absorbed her's...She's been haunting me in my dreams..."

"That's not possible," replied Carly. "Why would an unborn infant be haunting you?"

"...She's evil," Sam answered, gravely, and with a trembling voice. "I can tell by her voice...that face.

'And she needs me to bring her into the world...That's why I'm pregnant."

"I don't believe this," exclaimed Carly.

"We have to stop this," said Sam. "She wants to come here for a reason."

Suddenly, Sam felt a claw grab her neck, squeezing the air out of her throat. Sam gasped, and clenched the invisible hands strangling her.

"It's your fault I died," said Valerie's voice, which echoed with an evil force. "And you're the one whose going to let me come to Earth."

Sam gagged, and struggled to move. Carly ran over to her friend, and put her hands on her shoulders, firmly.

"Sam!" the brunette yelled. "Fight this! It's gonna be okay!"

The claws let go of Sam's raw neck, and she fell back on the floor. The blond struggled to catch her breath.

"Sam?" asked Carly, her voice comforting.

"I don't know how to fight this," Sam whispered, her voice still heavy. Tears began to leak from the girl's eyes. Carly hugged her friend, and hoped for a solution to come.

The rain hit and slid down the windows. Sam felt a dark emptiness inside her body, something she felt was draining her. Not knowing what to do, Sam let the tears keep falling.


	4. Chapter 4

The Unborn

Chapter 4

Carly and Sam entered Sam's apartment that gray, haunting morning.

"Mom!" Sam called, holding her stomach, which now bore grizzly red stretch marks, and as large as a nine-month pregnant woman's. "Mom! I have to talk to you!"

"What do you want?" Pam Puckett called from the couch. The woman looked over at her daughter, and her jaw dropped. "What the..."

"It's Valerie," Sam answered.

Pam was shocked and speechless. "Oh no," she begged. "W-what do you mean? What is this?"

Lightning struck outside. Sam clenched her stomach, which was now throbbing.

"What's happening?" Carly cried.

"She's coming!" Sam yelled, the fear drenching her body. "Mom, please, do something!"

"Valerie," Pam called, walking over to her daughter. "Is that you, baby?"

Sam nodded, all expression drained from her face. Carly stared at her friend, her stomach growing sick, and fear forming in the back of her throat.

"I've missed you," Sam's mother said. "The saddest day of my life was when they told me you didn't make it."

"It was Sam's fault," replied a girl's voice eminating from Sam's stomach. The voice was sick and weak and echoing with a ghostly whisper under it. "She stole my life."

"Honey, you can't blame your sister for this," Pam comforted her daughter. "This isn't anyone's fault.

Sam jolted forward, feeling a surge of pain spike through her body. "That's enough!" Sam screamed to Valerie. "I'm not paying for this! You don't deserve to come into our world. No one should have to suffer because of you. And I'm not gonna bring you to Earth!"

"There's nothing you can do about it," Valerie replied, her demonic voice laced with rage.

"Valerie, stop this!" Carly yelled. "Sam would never do anything to hurt you. Why are you doing this?"

"The world should pay for what's happened," the voice answered. "They wanted me to die."

"You can't take your anger out on everyone," Pam pleaded. "Stop this...and we can be together. I'll die to be with you, Valerie."

Sam grew upset. "Mom," she whispered. "You're willing to leave Melanie and I alone? It's not your fault for what happened to her."

"...Yes it is," Pam replied, her voice sinking. "You see, Sam...your grandmother was in a concentration camp when she was three. The Nazis killed her family right in front of her...But they made her a deal." Pam saw the images she created about that dark day: those vicious men standing in front of that terrified girl. "They said if she gave up one of her children,...they would let her live. So, she enacted the ritual they told her to use...and an evil being accepted it..." The images continued to play out in Pam's head as she told the story: She remembered that night when her mother sat her down in the living room floor. A fire was burning behind them, and the woman was rubbing her pregnant stomach.

"I'm sorry, Pamela," the woman said. "But you're not going to have a sister."

"I cried," Pam confessed. "I asked why,...but she wouldn't tell me. Finally, I found her diary...and it was all there: the ritual, the Nazis,...everything... I couldn't face the world alone...so I found the ritual by talking to some cultists who lived in town, and enacted it myself."

Sam's stomach turned. The blond lay down on her back on the couch.

"I told the thing that appeared that if my mother could keep her baby, I'd give it one of mine," Pam said, tears welling up in her eyes. "...And it took Valerie."

The room fell silent. Sam's stomach continued throbbing, but the sorrow from what she was hearing was bringing her true pain. The girl sat up, feeling she had to understand. "So..." she said, her voice weak and trembling. "Why does she hate me?" Tears blurred over Sam's eyes as she spoke.

"Because you have what I always wanted," Valerie answered. "Friends, our mother, and happiness. Melanie never had your life...Mom never had your life. I want it!"

"I didn't get this life," said Sam, growing strong. "I worked for it. I was a friend to Carly and Freddie...I stayed in Seattle with Mom...And you can never have that...Because all you want is to take that away from everyone."

Sam then felt fire burn inside her stomach: Valerie was growing enraged. Lightning struck outside, and rain began to plow down on the Earth. The blond violently clenched her stomach, and began to scream.

Carly and Pam watched in horror. Sam dug her nails into the sides of the couch, her screaming growing more vicious.

Finally, the storm stopped, and Sam's painful cries were silenced. The blond lay back down on the couch, her eyes closed.

"Sam," Carly said, her voice scared and gentle.

"Honey?" Pam said, her tone identical to Carly's.

"She's gone," Sam replied, her voice relieved and, for the first time in a long time, peaceful. "...She couldn't stand the truth. Thank you, Mom, Carly."

"Don't thank me," Pam responded, her voice sad. "It's all my fault for all of this. I should be dead with her."

"No, Mom," Sam comforted her mother, her breath still heavy from the ordeal. "You were young...Grandma was young...You weren't ready for what you did..." The girl turned her head to the side, too exhausted to move.

Carly hugged her friend, her heart now light. "It's all over now," she assured Sam. The brunette began to cry, trying to hold the tears back, just for Sam's sake.

Pam put her arms around Carly and Sam, still blaming herself for all of this.

The next night, Sam, Carly, Freddie, and Spencer sat in the Shays' living room, playing Scrabble, their hearts calm in each other's company. Their laughs in peace again.

"Thank you, guys," said Sam, feeling a strong wall being formed.

"It's what friends are for," Carly assured her friend.

_Hush, little baby, don't say a word...Mommy's gonna buy a mocking bird...If that mocking bird won't sing...Mommy's gonna buy you a diamond ring...If that diamond ring turns brass...Mommy's gonna buy you a looking glass..._

Pamela stood in front of a damaged tomb stone, the rain pouring down from the black sky. The woman rested her body on her knees, and wrapped her arms around the stone. Lightning stuck, illuminating the name "Valerie Puckett: My Little Sunshine." Tears formed in Pam's eyes.


End file.
